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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486679">There's more than one kind of Hufflepuff</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wadebramwilson/pseuds/wadebramwilson'>wadebramwilson</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fantastic Newt Verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Autistic Newt Scamander, Baby Newt, Baby Newt Scamander, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Gen, Hogwarts Era, Hufflepuff Theseus, Neurodivergent Newt Scamander, Newt Scamander is a Dork, Protective Theseus Scamander</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 04:07:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24486679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wadebramwilson/pseuds/wadebramwilson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt has always been sure of his own heart, mind, and abilities, even as he works to find out where he fits in at Hogwarts. </p><p>He doesn't worry too much about other people, preferring to march to the aberrant beat of his own drum, but he always tries very hard to not make Theseus worry.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Newt Scamander &amp; Theseus Scamander</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fantastic Newt Verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>There's more than one kind of Hufflepuff</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a little Newt-centric drabble about the brothers Scamander set in Newt's first week of his first year at Hogwarts. I've read that Theseus is canonically 8 years older than Newt, but I've put Theseus in his seventh year to facilitate this interaction.<br/>I also know that a lot of people write Theseus as a Gryffindor, but I think he is a Hufflepuff through and through.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For Newt, it took only a week for the excitement of finally being at Hogwarts with his brother to start to wear off.</p><p>Sure, he was definitely happy to be here. Overjoyed, even. Newt couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else. He discovered new things to be amazed about every day. </p><p>Newt itched to be out exploring the seemingly unending grounds. He wanted to be able to lose track of time wandering the castle, discovering all the paintings of creatures that he didn't yet know the names of. Newt wanted to spend his time sitting on the bank of the lake with his skin growing pinker in the sun while he tried to sing to the merpeople.</p><p>He was already feeling braver around the forest, too. He would challenge himself to go a bit deeper into the trees each time he visited. Then he would sit with his back against a tree trunk and listen to the different creature sounds that he could hear. Newt was trying to learn how to make the same sounds so that he might be able to talk to them eventually.</p><p>He loved to borrow books from the library and sit up in the owlery to read aloud to the birds. He had taken to bringing his new binoculars up there too, the ones that Theseus had given him for his last birthday. With them, he could look out to the very edge of the tree line and all the way to the other side of the lake.</p><p>Also, Newt was thrilled to finally be learning to use his magic properly now that he had his very own wand. Before he’d even held this particular wand, Newt had hoped with all his heart that it would pick him to be its wizard. When first he’d laid eyes on it, he had thought that it looked to be more special than all the other wands lining the dusty shelves of Ollivander’s. When this wand had picked him, Newt felt as though he was special too. He liked the feel of the ash wood under his fingers, it reminded him of being in nature. The nacre especially, he liked to run his fingers over, even more so whenever he found himself feeling a little bit overwhelmed.  </p><p>The morning air was crisp on his skin, and the sky was just starting to grow lighter as Newt entered the Great Hall for breakfast. He was very early, but he liked looking at the enchanted ceiling at this time of the morning.</p><p>Newt had been surprised to find that he quite liked the Great Hall, most of the time. Well… some of the time. It was always so loud though. Newt couldn't remember ever having to be anywhere so loud in his life. At least, nowhere that he couldn’t have run away from if he needed to. There were usually so many different conversations and voices happening around him that he could hardly hear what the person next to him was saying. He made sure to smile, and laugh when the other Hufflepuffs did, but he didn’t always follow what was going on. Sometimes all that noise made the smells of food and people feel stifling too, as though the volume was being turned up on everything. It was times like these that he liked to keep his hand in the pocket of his robes, running his fingers over the cool nacre of his wand, feeling the little seam where it transitioned to the organic texture of ash wood. It was a calm centre of focus for him that made the noise of the Great Hall dampen down to a manageable level. It helped too if he looked up at the enchanted ceiling. The combined effect made him feel like he was outside looking up at the sky.</p><p>Still, Newt tried to make sure he took his meals either very early or very late so as to avoid the busiest times. At lunch, he would sometimes avoid the Great Hall altogether. Newt wished that he could make the pockets of his robes bigger so he would be able to carry extra breakfast around with him. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about lunch.</p><p>He knew that Theseus would be learning undetectable extension charms for his N.E.W.Ts this year. He wondered if These would teach him how to charm the pockets of his robes to be much bigger than they were. Then he would be able to carry everything he wanted without worrying about losing anything. Newt would have plenty of room for owl and kneazle treats, extra quills (he wasn't entirely sure where his kept disappearing to), and he'd be able to have a special spot for all the really interesting leaves and feathers that he found in the forest. Also, Newt thought, he wouldn't have to wear his binoculars around his neck all day. If he got really good at it, he might even be able to keep his kneazle, Bunny, with him in class without anybody noticing. He thought that with Bunny purring softly in his pockets, he wouldn’t feel so claustrophobic in the Great Hall, and he wouldn’t need to eat his lunch by the lake so often.</p><p>There were a lot of things that Newt would be able to do with a charm like that. He entertained himself for a while, daydreaming about how many animals he could keep in his robes at once, wondering if there would be a limit at all. The thought made him very excited to be a wizard.</p><p>Newt looked up at the enormous hourglasses at the head of the hall. Hufflepuff's diamonds were already starting to trickle down into the bottom chamber. Theseus had told Newt that Hufflepuff always started out strong because it was so full of people who liked to be kind and to work hard. </p><p>Newt couldn’t have been prouder to be a Hufflepuff. He was happy that the Sorting Hat had looked into his heart and decided that he was kind enough and good enough and true enough to belong in the same house as his brother. Sometimes Newt wasn’t sure about those parts of himself, but the Sorting Hat certainly hadn’t spent very long thinking about where to put him. If its song was to be believed, the hat had been doing its job an awfully long time, so he supposed he ought to trust it. But still, Newt couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if he’d worn the hat just a little longer. If he had asked it to think a bit harder, to look a bit deeper, would it have still sorted him into Hufflepuff?</p><p>Newt loved the colour yellow and he thought badgers were the best animal of the four by far, but he wasn’t sure that that was all it took. He had heard some of the Slytherins in his <em>Defence Against the Dark Arts </em>lessons saying that Hufflepuff was where the hat put all the leftover students who weren’t smart, brave or cunning enough to be in the other houses.</p><p>A small part of Newt thought quietly that it <em>did</em> make sense to sort all the people that didn’t quite belong into Hufflepuff. The Sorting Hat was smart enough to know that the Hufflepuffs would never ostracise one of their own, they would make sure everybody felt like they were welcome and included, even if they didn't really fit. That thought was not a comforting one for Newt.</p><p>The other Hufflepuffs sure were a friendly bunch, Newt thought. Definitely welcoming. Uncomfortably so, even. They liked to ask him how he was and what he was doing and if he wanted to study with them. They would often put their palms on his shoulder, or around his arm. They were polite to him almost always, but he could tell that they didn’t want to talk about the things that he was interested in. Newt had stopped asking them to join him for walks in the forest because he could see from the way their eyes grew wider or their mouths tensed up in the corner that the idea made them uncomfortable.</p><p>Even talking to just one or two of them at a time could be difficult. Newt had trouble focusing on conversations about classes and quidditch and other people. It was difficult to know the right thing to say at the right time. He liked the Hufflepuffs a lot, but he didn’t always like talking to them.</p><p>It was now the Monday after his first week and Newt was carefully spreading marmalade right to the edges of his toast. The sky had turned a pale blue-pink now and Newt knew that meant the day was going to be just <em>lovely</em>, especially seeing as he had <em>Herbology</em> first period. </p><p>Newt had placed himself at the very end of the Hufflepuff table with his back to the door so that if he was still there when his classmates came down, they wouldn’t feel like they had to sit next to him.</p><p>Newt had already filled his bag with as many apples as he could carry while no one was looking. He was planning to leave some on the edge of the forest on his way to class and watch for a bit to see if anything came to eat them.</p><p>Someone taller than he was slid confidently onto the bench right up next to Newt, wrapping a too-warm arm around his shoulders. Newt’s back tensed up before he realised that it was just Theseus.</p><p>“Hey Bug. How are you liking your first week?” Theseus asked. He took a piece of marmalade toast off of Newt’s plate and made a show of taking a big bite.</p><p>Newt shrugged, “It’s okay.”</p><p>“What are you doing all by yourself?” Theseus asked kindly, looking around for the other first years. Newt shrugged again. In nearly a whisper, Theseus added, “Is everyone being nice to you?”</p><p>“Everyone’s been really friendly, These,” Newt said with a shallow smile.</p><p>“Oh yeah? Have you made any friends yet?”</p><p>“Not yet I don’t think,” Newt said, frowning. He felt guilty all of a sudden. “I’m not sure if they like me very much,” he added quietly.</p><p>Theseus frowned, “Of course they like you, they just don’t know you yet. It’s only been a week.”</p><p>Newt shrugged again and took a bite of his toast.</p><p>“Newt,” Theseus said, carefully studying his brother’s face, “If you make an effort to talk to them, they’ll like you. I promise.”</p><p>Newt grimaced. That was going to be a hard promise for his brother to keep. Newt knew that Theseus didn’t like seeing him alone. Theseus loved people and touch so much that he thought that Newt needed them as much as he did. A small part of him was glad that Theseus would be leaving school next year. That way even if Newt didn’t make any friends, Theseus would not be there to have to worry about him. He didn’t like being the reason his brother worried.</p><p>“You’ve just got to give them the chance to get to know you. Then they’ll see how cool you are. They’ll be lucky to have you as a friend,” Theseus assured him. “Just like I’m lucky to have you as a friend,” he added for good measure. He made sure to give Newt’s auburn hair a big ruffle. It made the conversation feel a lot less serious, and Newt was grateful.</p><p>He squirmed away from Theseus, laughing, “You’re my brother These, you can’t be my friend.” Newt pushed his hair back down, knowing that it probably didn’t look much different to how it had been when he’d first sat down for breakfast.</p><p>“Course I can!” Theseus gasped, mock affronted, “Your first and your best!”</p><p>Newt beamed because he knew it was true, would probably always be true. Theseus chomped down on the last of his brother’s toast as though Newt hadn’t worked hard to get the ratio of marmalade exactly right.</p><p>“You always get the marmalade perfect. I don’t know how you manage it every time, Bug. Better than when mum does it,” Theseus grinned through his mouthful of toast.</p><p>Newt laughed and rubbed his nose. He didn’t really mind sharing with Theseus because Theseus always shared with him. Newt thought that his brother was exactly how a Hufflepuff was meant to be. He was warm and friendly to everyone he met. He liked to hug and to laugh loudly and often. He made other people want to laugh too, which is why he had so many friends. Theseus worked hard in all his classes and he always kept Newt’s secrets if he asked him to. He and Newt couldn’t have been more different. Newt swallowed, suddenly feeling very serious again.</p><p>“Do you think…” Newt hesitated. He was already regretting his decision to try to articulate the thing that had been weighing heavily on his chest all through his last week. “Do you think maybe the sorting hat put me in the wrong house?” He asked quietly. It was barely a whisper, but Newt made sure to look right into Theseus’ green eyes when he spoke, so that his brother could see how important a question it was.</p><p>“Did someone say that to you?” Theseus asked. His first instinct was always to protect.</p><p>“No,” Newt said, looking very intently at the head boy badge pinned above the stitched house insignia on his brother’s robes, fingers worrying over his wand in his pocket. “No, it's just-” he tried again and was embarrassed that his eyes were starting to feel a bit like they might want to cry, “I just don’t feel like I belong is all.”</p><p>“You belong,” Theseus said without hesitation.</p><p>“No, These. I just,” he sniffed, blinking his eyes hard, “It’s just that I’m not friendly the way you are. I c-can’t focus as hard in class. I- I don’t want to be around so many people all the time. I don’t listen very well to them. I ca- I can’t seem-”</p><p>Theseus pulled his brother quickly and bodily against his chest, “You belong, Newt.”</p><p>“But I-“</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Newt huffed, “I’m just not like you, These.”</p><p>“No, listen to me Newt,” Theseus interrupted, voice a stern whisper, “You are kind. You are compassionate and you are always true to yourself. It’s not your fault that it sometimes takes you a bit longer to warm up to people.” Theseus hugged him tighter, resting his chin on Newt’s mop of curly hair. Newt let himself be squished by it.</p><p>“I don’t want you to be like me,” Theseus said softly, “I like it when you’re being you.”</p><p>“I don’t even like hugs,” Newt protested weakly.</p><p>“Everyone likes hugs,” Theseus insisted, but he released his grip on his brother all the same.</p><p>Newt rubbed his eyes and set to straightening his robes. He felt a little better, already. The small, cold stone that had been sitting on his heart didn’t feel quite as heavy as it had before. Sometimes it seemed to Newt as thought his brother spoke a different language to him, but other times he knew exactly the right thing to say in exactly the right way.  </p><p>“Thanks, These,” Newt sniffed again.</p><p>“Anytime, brother. Do you want to come and sit with me and my friends? I’ll introduce you to everyone. They’re really nice people.”</p><p>“No, that’s okay. I- I think I might go down to <em>Herbology</em> now anyway. I wanted to be early.”</p><p>“Okay, Bug. If you want.”</p><p>Newt really didn’t want to sit with Theseus’ friends at all. He didn’t mind being on his own most of the time. It was something that he was sure Theseus would never really understand, try as he might. But he also knew it made Theseus happy to look after him. So, after a moment of hesitation, he said, “Maybe I could sit with you and your friends at dinner?”</p><p>Theseus’ face lit up, “Of course!” and Newt knew that he had said the right thing. He would even let These put his arm around his shoulders if it made him happy.</p><p>“Okay,” Newt said, standing to leave, “See you.”</p><p>“Don’t go near the Forbidden Forest again, Newt!” Theseus shouted after him, "I'll know!"</p><p>Newt ducked his head to hide his guilty smile as he shuffled out of the Great Hall. He didn't believe his brother's bluff for a second, but even so, he made sure to check over his shoulder at least twice as he made his way across the grounds. Keeping his footfalls light, Newt snuck past the treeline and out of sight of the castle. He couldn't stop smiling as he ventured deeper, schoolbag full of apples swinging heavily at his side.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed reading.<br/>I try to imbue Newt's thoughts with both a very logical decision-making process and a wholly empathy-driven compass. He is also an incredible dork but has no idea. I draw on my own experience with autism spectrum to try and do him justice.</p><p>In my mind, Theseus is very neurotypical. He is loyal and protective of his idiosyncratic brother, even though he doesn't always understand him. Part of that is Newt’s fault, as he has been making great efforts his whole life to communicate in a way that Theseus can understand. Newt observed most of what he knows about human interaction from his brother. I think as Newt gets older Theseus starts to become frustrated that Newt isn't trying hard enough, and he probably tries to push him a bit more out of his comfort zone. There will come a point where that gets too much for Newt and he will start to withdraw more from their relationship.<br/>This drabble is set well before that.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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